Civilized Crimes

The American governments have been consistently policing the world since World War II in the name of freedom, democracy and national security. American intervention in the affairs of the Third (class) World is said to be aimed at helping "others find their own voice", to create "conditions in which new democracies could flourish", to provide "inspiration for oppressed peoples", to "rid the world of evil and build free societies on every continent" and to help them "achieve freedom from corruption, freedom from disease, freedom from poverty, freedom from hunger and freedom from tyranny".

In his yet another startling documentary, "The War on Democracy", John Pilger, a renowned investigative journalist exposes the designs, and heinous crimes committed in Latin America by the worlds greatest power. Feel the unfathomable distance between words and deeds; the sheer arrogance and indifference of American regimes to human suffering. It is horrifying to note the extent to which American governments can go for greed, power, and world dominance – crushing popular movements, destroying economies and social institutions, deposing democratic governments, sponsoring military coups, imposing fascist military regimes, and above all, shamelessly terrorizing states and the populace using both overt and covert means. The events covered in the documentary could also serve as a historic context for interpreting the American intervention in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and now Pakistan. It is a must see film especially for those who use naive terms for the Pak-US relationship, like "The Friends of Pakistan", "strategic ally", and "strategic partner" in the "war against terror".

Over the past few centuries, themes like civilized, human rights, liberty, freedom, justice, democracy, equal opportunity have systematically been associated with the western civilization. Any typical political sermon addressing the “other half” of the globe (especially the Muslim World), originating from the west, boasts of these western values as the “exclusive domain” of The West. It is these very values, so it seems, that differentiate The West from The East, especially the Third (class) World.

A Special Report by John Pilger reveals some horrifying and repugnant episodes beneath the egalitarian facade of two of the most powerful western nations - Great Britain and the United States.

See, how the champions of human rights, sold, threatened, humiliated, deported, and finally dumped a society, their own colony, for a noble cause of establishing one of the largest military bases of the United States of America.

See how a peaceful and abundant community of Diego Garcia, a beautiful island in the Indian Ocean was depopulated and forced to live and die under appalling, inhuman conditions by the British Government. Through immense human suffering, the islanders learnt of a grim reality – despite being British citizens, the western values, laws and human rights do not apply to them, probably due to the dark colour of their skin.

Ironically, these very nations are now fighting a global war, in the name of freedom, and with a stated aim of civilizing the uncivilized. God bless Britain, and God bless America!

Imagine, you are fighting a war that has no frontiers; it's a "new" kind of a war, probably a war of wars; a war that is not governed by Geneva conventions or other code; a conflict in which "terrorists" kill hundreds and "civilized" armies with a global mandate to curb terrorism, kill hundreds and thousands; where the enemy is not a state but a group of men the scope of which is vaguely defined; it's a unique war in which the enemy's favourite battleground is a school, mosque, hospital, park or other public places; in such context, see how the great US Marines, Pakistan’s "strategic partners" in war on terror, choose a public place, the Marriot Hotel to perform their covert operations yielding an enhanced sense of security for Pakistan;

You do not need an Usama, a Saddam or taliban to validate regime change. The motives are deeper, devices old, and model robust and tested. Hear the New York Times correspondent, Stephen Kinzer, unfold the events that led to the coup and overthrow of the democratically elected government of the Iranian Prime Minister, Muhammad Musaddeq.

The impact of recent price hike of food commodities for poor economies is no less than a nuclear explosion. It has jeopardized the lives of millions and significantly stalled prospects for growth. It has also made nations and governments more vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation by foreign powers, global corporations and institutions. Michel Chossudovsky provides his perspective on the world food crisis that has rocked the world, especially the underdeveloped nations. Ironically, most of these nations are known to be agrarian societies.